Butler Blue 2 retires, relinquishes collar to Blue 3

Mar. 10, 2013
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Butler Blue II, Butler University's beloved mascot, retired after seven years on the job Saturday during halftime of the Bulldogs' game vs. Xavier at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Here Blue II enjoys one of his favorite snacks during a Feb. 19 game against Duquesne. / Michael Conroy, Associated Press

by Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY Sports

by Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY Sports

College basketball players come and go, and as we sadly accepted Saturday, mascots do, too. Even our favorite furry ones.

Butler's English bulldog Blue 2 retired after nine years as the school mascot. In a "Changing of the Collar" ceremony that took place at halftime, Blue 3 -- "Trip" -- officially replaced Blue 2 as the program's active mascot. Trip will take over all celebrity appearances and the pre-game good-luck rub. Blue 2 will still be around -- both dogs are owned by Michael Kaltenmark, Butler's director of web marketing -- but the elder Blue will be taking a backseat to the new pup.

It's a sad day for mascot lovers everywhere. Blue 2 barked and growled his way into our hearts during Butler's Cinderella NCAA Final Four run in 2010, and he's stayed there ever since through his always-engaging social media presence, which has included Ustream videos of Blue 2 laying around and being perfectly adorable.

Photo via Indianapolis Star

The good news? Blue 3 is equally cute and even a bit more feisty than his predecessor -- he barked at his canine comrade at center court during the retirement ceremony. Looks like our mascot needs may be met after all!

"Sleep, and probably (eat) a lot of ice cream," said caretaker Michael Kaltenmark, who held Blue 2 up to a standing ovation at Hinkle Saturday. "He's still going to come to campus. It's all he knows. "Trip" has got his work cut out for him."